Selective Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 1-Hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione by Biochar-Supported Ru Catalysts.

The development of sustainable and efficient catalysts -namely Ru supported on activated biochars- is carried out for the selective hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 1-hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione (HHD). Activated biochars obtained from pyrolysis and steam-based physical activation of two different biomasses from animal (leather tannery waste; ALw ) and vegetal (hazelnut shells; AHSw ) origins show completely different chemical, textural, and morphological properties. Compared to ALw , after impregnation with 0.5 wt % Ru, AHSw , with inner micro-mesochannels and cavities and higher layer stacking disorder, leads to better trapping and anchoring of Ru nanoparticles on the catalyst and a suitable Ru single crystal dispersion. This leads to a highly active Ru/AHSw catalyst in the proposed reaction, giving more than 80 % selectivity to HHD and full HMF conversion at 100 °C with 30 bar H2 for 3 h. Ru/AHSw also shows promising performance compared to a commercial Ru/C catalyst.

Multisectoral actions of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mazandaran province of Iran.

AIM: A widespread outbreak of COVID-19 is followed by adverse effects on the mental health of the general population. Therefore, this study is an audit to investigate the activities of various organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mazandaran Province, Iran. METHODS: The aim of the study was to collect the data, the relevant officials in various organizations and units were contacted to collect the statistics of actions taken in psychology and psychiatry wards. Moreover, databases such as Google Scholar and Iranian resources were searched. RESULTS: According to the results, different healthcare systems worked in parallel during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Mazandaran University of Medical Science [MAZUMS] Health Vice-Chancellor performed the following activities during this crisis: establishing a virtual crisis management working group, holding a provincial educational committee to train the crisis management teams, organizing virtual psychological intervention teams in the healthcare systems, and so forth. In addition, the mental health activities by Mazandaran Welfare Organization during the COVID-19 outbreak included providing hostelry free psychological counseling, quarantine boarding and rehabilitation centers, and providing harm prevention protocols of COVID-19, especially for marginalized regions. In the third level of medical centers, including hospitals, consultation-liaison psychiatry or psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, therapeutic interventions for comorbid psychiatric disorders with COVID-19 disease, and online workshops for mental health were conducted to reduce burnout of medical staff and nurses. CONCLUSION: This study can provide a good guideline for different service providers by using the experiences of other centers to achieve better results.

Catalytic Production of Levulinic Acid (LA) from Actual Biomass.

Catalytic conversion of actual biomass to valuable chemicals is a crucial issue in green chemistry. This review discusses on the recent approach in the levulinic acid (LA) formation from three prominent generations of biomasses. Our paper highlights the impact of the nature of different types of biomass and their complex structure and impurities, different groups of catalyst, solvents, and reaction system, and condition and all related pros and cons for this process.